President of Burundi, H.E Évariste Ndayishimiye, has been formally elected as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) for the year 2026.
He takes over the rotating leadership from Angola’s João Lourenço at the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama secured the First Vice position.
The composition of the new Bureau of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union for 2026 is as follows:
1. Chair of the African Union – The Republic of Burundi, (Central)
2. First Vice – Ghana, (West); President John Dramani Mahama
3. Second Vice – Tanzania, (East);
4. Third Vice – To be confirmed, (North Africa Region); and
5. Rapporteur – Angola, (South) .
Addressing the Assembly meeting, Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, framed the summit around the 2026 theme of water and sanitation, describing access to water as a shared public good essential for both development and peace.
He noted that the meeting comes at a time of increasing geopolitical turbulence, marked by persistent conflicts, institutional fragility, and a resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in parts of the continent.
Against the backdrop of weakening multilateralism and rising global polarisation, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged Member States to accelerate political and economic integration in line with the vision of Agenda 2063.
The Thirty-Ninth (39th) Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) kicked off today at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with a strong call for African solidarity, financial independence, and a collective push to shape the global agenda.
The two-day summit, held under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” saw the election of a new Chair of the Union for the year 2026 and strong messages on the urgent appeal for peace and institutional reform.
The summit continues with deliberations focused on the critical theme of water security, as well as pressing peace and security issues across the continent.
